Broken Ice
by beefturtle
Summary: Set after Retribution, Alice finds a couple of old friends in an empty department store.


**A/N: This isn't going to be a long story, just a little Christmas present for a friend. Here's the Prelude, don't really count it as a chapter.**

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**PRELUDE: BEYOND THE GRAVE**

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Alice stood in the neglected department store, her back pressed up against the wall, making sure she had access to most of the weapons and equipment which was heavily strapped to her body. Her boots contained several knives and darts, in her belt were pistols and other guns and on her back a bow. She needed more supplies, she needed food and matches to take back to the group of survivors that she found out in the desert.

As Alice listened for any signs of life, she heard a clatter of a gun hitting the ground.

"Shit," a voice cursed. Alice wasn't able to identify the voice as male or female as it was hushed and in the distance. "Get over here." The voice said in a harsh whisper. The voice was moving across the room, hiding behind shelves and sofas.

"How do you know she'll be here?" Another voice followed the other across the room, Alice pulled a gun from her belt and prepared herself to face the people.

"Shhhhh, did you hear that?" The first voice said again. Alice panicked and held her breath as the voices came closer and closer. "I swear, it was from over here." The voices had passed by Alice and around the corner. She released her breath.

"I heard _that._" The other voice said. Alice's mind did a flip as she tried to put a face to the voices that she could hear.

"We can hear you Alice."

Alice stopped before answering them, _What if they are part of Umbrella? What if they were sent to kill her? Who even are they?_

"Alice, tell me that's you out there?" The voice got closer again, Alice had heard that voice before, she just couldn't match the voice to the face at the moment.

"It's me." She cleared her throat, and stepped forward. She pulled a torch from her belt and shined it across the room.

It was that moment that Alice froze, the two people standing in front of her... it was just impossible. It just couldn't happen, the way they looked, it was like they were when she last saw them. They were healthy. They weren't infected, and by the looks of it, they weren't under Umbrella's control, but she couldn't jump to conclusions, _Umbrella could be getting smarter. _In front of her, was Rain Ocampo, her stomach lurched at the sight, not in a bad way, she felt the heat of her cheeks rising as she glanced up and down the woman's body, the last she'd seen of her was in the arctic and she had fallen through the ice, dragged down by the undead – but now, she had that healthy glow back, and she was actually smiling. She had guns strapped to her belt too, a lot like Alice's, she was wearing the same outfit from that day of her death, except she didn't die. _I guess she sticks to her words._

"I told you I'd come back." Rain smiled, running up to Alice and wrapping her arms around her, "I can't believe you're still alive!" She grinned, pulling back from Alice and turning around to face Claire Redfield. "I told you she was here, I knew it!" Rain was almost jumping, her excitement coursing through her veins, it was kind of contagious.

"You were right, I can't believe it." Claire stood and blinked at Alice, she still had her redish hair and a scar down her cheek from her time at Arcadia. She still looked the same as when Alice saw her last, she also had the guns in her belt and looked prepared.

"Are you alright?" Rain turned to Alice who was still frozen in her spot, "You look like you've seen a ghost." Rain laughed as she crouched down to the floor and tied up her straying shoelace on her boot.

"Well, you could say that I guess." Alice laughed nervously at the two in front of her, paying special attention to Rain, "It's good to see you two taking care of yourselves."

"Could say so yourself." Claire piped in, gesturing to the vast amount of guns which were strapped to her.

"So you two met," Alice looked between the two, they both laughed and looked from each other to Alice.

"Yeah, we met." Rain put her armed gun in her belt loop as she was still crouched on the floor.

"She pretty much saved my ass from Arcadia." Claire chuckled as Rain stood up, leaning on Alice for support.

"I missed you, you know." Alice turned to Rain who was leaning on her still.

"Yeah I know."

Alice tugged on her belt buckle as Rain ran her arm across Alice's shoulders and patted her on the back, she had a feeling that the beginning of a new journey in her life was about to take place.


End file.
